Ozzy Osbourne‘s final “Back to the Beginning” concert kept him “flying high” until the day he died, his wife Sharon Osbourne said.
Speaking at a London screening of the film “Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning” — which chronicles the July 5, 2025 Birmingham show that took place just weeks before the heavy metal legend’s death at 76 — on Tuesday night, Sharon recalled the importance of the event to Ozzy. Besides featuring the final performances from Ozzy and Black Sabbath, “Back to the Beginning” brought together other genre heavyweights including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Pantera, Tool and more.
“He was like, flying high again. He was so happy. Until the day he passed, he was still on that high,” Sharon told moderator Phil Alexander. “He was so excited, so thankful to everyone. It was just joyous for us to see him that way, because we hadn’t seen him that way in years. He was laughing, telling jokes again. It was brilliant.”
Sharon said the idea for the concert came about because Ozzy “wanted to perform one more time to say thank you and goodbye to everyone.” Although his health was touch and go — with emphysema making his vocal performance unpredictable — he was “so determined mentally to do this,” Sharon said.
“He was just praying that his longs would work and that he could sing,” Sharon remembered. “He could have been great at soundcheck, and then the gig would happen and he wouldn’t even be able to speak. But it’s mind over matter.”
She added that Ozzy’s fellow Black Sabbath members weren’t even aware of how bad his condition had become. “The guys didn’t know how sick Ozzy was. I mean, even my kids — we never told my kids,” she said. “So nobody knew how sick he was.”
Having the support of his community made all the difference, Sharon said, pointing out Black Sabbath co-founder Tony Iommi and keyboardist Adam Wakeman in the audience. “Ozzy’s closest friends were up there with him. You asked them to do something, and they delivered.”
“You know, it’s only this community that would do that,” she continued. “Can you imagine going to ask all these little girls that sing in a fucking leotard, saying, ‘We really need you. Do you think you could turn up in three months’ time?’ They’d say, ‘Fuck off, I’m too big for that.’”
On the day of the concert, Sharon remembered being “petrified, because I didn’t know whether he could literally get through it.” But Ozzy was having a grand old time, watching every act and “applauding in the dressing room.”
“He was overcome with it all. He was so, so happy,” Sharon said. “He was just genuinely moved by the whole thing. He just couldn’t believe it.”
The concert film includes behind-the-scenes footage, including of “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa, who was the event’s emcee. Sharon revealed that he didn’t exactly know that would be his job on the day.
“I thought, why tell him? It ruins the surprise!” she said with a laugh. “I said, you know, just go out there and talk to the crowd and introduce the different bands. And he’s like, ‘I can’t do that.’ Fuck off, you’re an actor!”
Asked about what made Ozzy so special as a performer, Sharon concluded that “nobody sounded like” him.
“Nobody had the soul that Ozzy had in his voice … It wasn’t just blabbing words, it was heartfelt in everything,” she said. “There’s a lot of singers that think, ‘Oh, don’t you think I’m sexy? I’m gonna take my shirt off, sweat a bit and rub me old tits.’ And it’s like, you need more than that.”
However, she cheekily added: “He would like to show his bum — that was his swan song.”
“Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning” hits cinemas worldwide on Oct. 28 via Trafalgar Releasing.
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